When Every Second Counts
by Ovo
Summary: AU. Starting from an only halfsuccessful trip to the Wasteland, as we know it to have happened. A split second away from things, As They Are, and into the realm of As They Might Have Been.
1. When Destiny and Chance Meet

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 1  
**_**When Destiny and Chance Meet**

A gunshot. And then a second shortly after. Not that it could be thought about right then. Trying to maneuver around the giant phantom was hard enough.

"Deep Eyes, hard to starboard!"

Yeah, no time for thinking about whatever strangeness was going on with the passengers. And then they were in free skies. The tech praised himself for a job well done as the world grew smaller beneath the aircraft.

"Neil, get us back to New York," Gray's voice came over the communication device.

"Yes, sir," Neil replied cheerily, "No problem."

"We've got two problems," Gray replied, "Very serious ones. Get us back fast."

The tech sighed and checked the course headings. Why were people always in a rush?

The sky was darkening as the Copperhead made its landing on the platform of the Barrier City. Neil shakily got up and walked into the back of the aircraft. The words he was going to say died on his lips. The sight that met his eyes was not one he had expected. Nor was it one he had ever wanted to see.

One of the new recruits to Deep Eyes that he thought had survived the mission was crumpled against the metallic wall of the compartment. The other seemed unconscious, and was roughly tied to a piece of equipment used for monitoring energy traces.

The Deep Eyes' Captain was protectively cradling unconscious of Dr. Aki Ross. Ryan was crouched next to the unnaturally still form of Jane. The woman's armor had been removed and left in a disorganized pile.

"What happened, what is this?" Neil asked, almost disbelieving if not for what he saw.

"That bastard took a shot at her," Ryan said quietly, motioning to the bound man leaned against the bulkhead.

"Oh, God," the tech mumbled, "Is she going to be ok?"

"We don't know yet. Get that door open," Gray said. Neil moved slowly around the group of people and opened the hatch of the compartment to the landing platform. The tech watched nervously as the sergeant roused the injured woman as gently as he could.

"Hey, it's time to get up," he said quietly. Jane's eyes opened, though her expression didn't change. She tried to ignore the burning feeling that radiated from her neck but couldn't help wincing as the larger man helped her into a sitting position. Refusing to be carried, she leaned heavily against Ryan as he helped her down the ramp and onto the heliport. A lance of pain shot through her shoulder and she bit back a cry, only to turn the sound into a muffled moan.

"Oh, come on, it can't be that painful," Neil quipped. The look he gained wasn't one of friendship.

"Fuck you," Jane spat, almost collapsing.

"Neil," Gray said, "Go tell the medics to get help here immediately, and then go report the situation. Understood?"

"Yes sir," the tech replied, running over the large expanse of metal and concrete to the entrance to the Barrier City. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Neil couldn't help feeling lucky that he would probably be allowed to bypass the scanners for the time being.


	2. Visiting

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 2  
**_**Visiting**

"How'd you get us in here anyway?" Ryan asked, perplexed. Somehow he doubted that he and Neil qualified as "immediate family." He was almost afraid to guess what the tech had said to get them access to visiting a critical patient. Not critical, he corrected himself, stable now. Just still carefully monitored.

"Congratulations, Serge," Neil replied, "You're her half-brother now."

"I'm what?" Ryan asked, "Hold on, then who did you claim to be?"

Neil mumbled something under his breath, but the sergeant beside him caught enough words to form the full sentence. Actually, there was only one word he needed to catch to form the full sentence, and that was "husband."

"Oh man," Ryan chuckled, "I do not envy you when she hears about that."

"Yeah, I was hoping she wasn't gonna," the tech said, giving Ryan a hopeful please-don't-sign-my-death-warrant look.

Jane had been taken to the military hospital. The doctors had successfully removed the bullet from her throat. They had surmised that she would be able to leave the hospital in a few days, as long as she periodically came back to be checked upon, and that she would be fully recovered in a month or two. The injury was serious only if untreated, but there was still the threat from blood loss. Once everything had been straightened out, a doctor gave an "everything will be alright" speech to the pair that brought the woman in.

Not that the young doctor believed their claim to family, but she was not going to be so cruel to such devoted friends of the patient. Sentimentality was one of her weak spots.

"Neil, put that down," Ryan said as the corporal started going through the medical charts. Not that it was for him to say, but the doctor was not present.

"God, this place is bland," Neil said, paying no attention to his friend in the least, "Needs some nice wallpaper or something."

"Neil," hissed Ryan, grabbing the charts and carefully replacing them, "Sit down and visit or go outside and wait."

The tech complied and looked around the ten-by-ten gray box that served as a hospital room. He managed to look everywhere except to the unconscious woman on the infirmary bed. The speech the doctor gave was of no comfort, as he had heard it before just before losing a good friend less than a year earlier.

"So what did you say when you reported the situation?" Ryan asked after a few minutes of almost unbearable silence.

"'Four soldiers down, as well as one scientist, big mutinous scuffle of some kind, gotta go, bye,'" Neil replied, "I think that was it anyway."

"And I wondered how you–"

Ryan was cut off by the sound of the door opening. The man who entered the room was not one of the doctors, as he had expected, but the surviving lieutenant from the Tucson mission. The sergeant quelled the urge to try to tear the man apart. A hospital was no place for a brawl.

The lieutenant, a coarse man by the name of Williams, had no such ideals. His neck still hurt from the punch received from the Deep Eye's second-in- command, while his whole body ached from being bound in a rather rough way for the long trip from the wreckage site back to New York.

The first thing he did was to gain retaliation on the sergeant by means of a well-placed blow across the side of Ryan's head. It was with great satisfaction that the lieutenant carried out his orders, as he was a rather vengeful man.

"You two are under arrest," Williams spoke slowly, as though savoring the effect his words would have, "I suggest you come quietly, but personally I wouldn't mind if you resisted."

"And what if we didn't huh?" Neil asked, standing, "What if we wanted to stay here a while?"

"I have a squad of six men standing outside that door, Corporal Fleming. If I wanted it they would come in here and kill the both of you. And let's not forget the bitch," he gestured to Jane, still oblivious to anything but her dreams, "This time I'll be sure not to miss her head."

"What's the matter with you, Williams?" Neil asked aggressively, "Your mommy, she beat you as a kid or something?" During the previous mission the two had gotten into a couple of fights over the communications system. When Ryan had told the tech of the events in the back of the transport while they had been in the waiting room, it didn't help Neil's opinion of the lieutenant.

"Neil, let's just go," Ryan said quietly before the fight he had passed by occurred between the subordinate officers instead. Before Neil could protest, he found himself being led out of the room by the sergeant. The tech gave himself the leisure of one last glance into the room before following Ryan outside and into what he considered the wonderful world of being in custody.


	3. When Fate is Almost the Same

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 3  
**_**When Fate is _Almost _the Same  
**

"... and what about Mark, huh? They said he'd be fine, too," Neil complained, "I'm telling you, doctors can't be trusted. Well, you two are alright, but you know what I mean!"

"Neil. Shut up," Gray said sternly from the cell across the isle, "Sit down. Jane will be fine. We have bigger problems at the moment."

"Gee, thanks," Neil curled up in his corner and sulked, "Take their side."

"Neil, Mark was infested by a phantom. Jane was shot. There is a difference," Ryan tried to soothe his friend's nerves, or maybe his own. Mark had been the secondary technician of the Deep Eyes, and it had been common for he and Neil to be found conversing about things no one else could understand without a dictionary handy. He had died eight months before. Having been one of those people that everyone got along well with, he was sorely missed.

"Oh, and that's any better? Not because of the enemy, but because of one of our own friggin' men?" Neil sat up straight and continued his argument with himself and anyone who would listen.

"I'm sorry," Aki said quietly to the man seated next to her. It was not very comforting to her that she was all right while Jane was injured. The only thing that kept Aki from having been in the same situation was the phantom infection. Without the chest-plate, she could have been even worse off.

"It's not your fault," Gray replied in the same tone, and squeezed her hand gently, "But we need to figure this out. And he's not helping." He stared at the tech with a meaningful glare, "Neil! She's a lot better off than us, so quit worrying and be quiet!"

Neil stopped talking and stared at his hands. It was true; Jane was probably a lot better off where she was. But there was still that sense of concern, and the image of the strong woman so helpless lingered on in his mind.

"We need to get out of here and find the last spirit before Hein makes any more terrible mistakes," Sid, almost the image of reason, said. He spoke quietly, but the words made a good impact.

"Wait, if we leave," Neil said, "What happens to Jane? Williams is a sadistic jerk, what if he tried something, huh?"

"He won't do a thing, he doesn't have authorization," Gray said, "And if we leave, they need her to tell them where we went."

"But she doesn't know-"

"That's the point," Gray replied, "If they find out she doesn't know, they might not think of her like they think of us."

"Oh," Neil supposed it made sense. He tried not to think about what could go wrong and pretend that the captain knew how everything was going to work.

"If we can get to the 'Boa," Aki said, "We can get away and start searching. It has all we need."

"You know I'm still not sure if I believe in any of this?" Gray said, smiling softly at Aki.

"You don't have to," the young woman replied, "Just have faith in me."

Ryan softly nudged Neil with his boot, and gave the tech a knowing look. Neil lowered his head to hide his smile. Hey, if nothing else, at least that plan had worked. The two began laughing quietly, much to the annoyance of Gray.

"What's so funny?" he asked, annoyed by the behavior.

"Nothing," Neil choked, "Nothing at all sir."

"Good, because we need you to get us out of here," Gray smiled wickedly.

"Sir?" Neil said, suppressing the last of the laughing fit, "I don't think I can help there..." He trailed off as he looked up, as the pulsonic lasers that served as cell bars flickered and faded out. The stunned expressions in the room turned to ones of anxiety as the sound of alarms began to reach the inside of the brig.

"Oh man," Ryan moaned. He hoped it didn't mean the worst, like it had in San Francisco when the Barrier had failed. It was not a memory the sergeant wanted to recall.

"Let's go!" Gray exclaimed, though it was barely necessary. As the Deep Eyes, Sid, and Aki rushed out the door and towards whatever was ahead, Captain Edwards tried to bring to mind the ideals needed by a good leader. They would get through this. They had to. There was simply no other way.


	4. And When it Isn't

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 4  
**_**... And When it Isn't  
**

Jane awoke to the gentle, yet at the same time urgent, voice. At first it just added to the disorientation. Pushing herself up slowly, she opened her eyes. Her senses adjusted one by one, and she started catching parts of what the woman beside her was saying.

"You're gonna be fine," what happened now? "Just take it easy, but we have to get out of here," why? "Get dressed and come outside ok? I need to check on other patients," and then the woman left, and Jane was alone.

So she dressed. Not her own clothes, she noted as she hastily dressed in the gray army surplus garments. Trying to piece together what happened didn't help much. From what she could last remember, the Deep Eye's were leaving the wasteland. And now a hospital. With a numb shoulder. Great.

So she did what she knew. Followed instructions. Of course it could never be that simple, could it?

Through the doorway was a nervous calm. Doctors were systematically rallying patients from their rooms and gathering them in organized groups. Disquiet manifested itself through nervous glances and shuffling feet.

Jane caught sight of the young woman who had woken her up. The woman was arguing with the leader of a military troupe. Jane recognized the man as one of those assigned for the Tucson mission, though his name eluded her. The idea that such a low ranking soldier would be in charge of anything, let alone that man with other people's lives, was a bit ludicrous.

"You're responsible for this you know," he snarled at Jane when he saw her approach.

"For what?" she asked, confused. More than once she had gotten the urge to hit this man, and now his manner was making her feel that urge again.

"The Barrier's going to fall and it's you and your damn Deep Eyes' fault," he said, as though it should have been common knowledge, "Well, congratulations, Corporal, you just got yourself arrested."

"Wait, if the Barrier is going to fall," Jane said incredulously, "then don't you think you have better things to do than arrest me? What about the people here?" What the hell was going on?

"I think that traitors are a high priority," the man sniffed, "You might give the Phantoms classified information if you're allowed free."

"Excuse me, but how the hell could anyone side with the Phantoms?" Jane asked, "They kill everyone who gets near them!"

"Maybe you could answer that question," the man said simply. Lieutenant Williams, there's the name.

"She's right," one of the patients, an older soldier, said from the sidelines, "No one has ever managed to surrender to a Phantom. I've seen men try. They all end up dead."

"If what he's saying about the Barrier is true," Jane said, addressing the six men gathered nervously behind the lieutenant, "I suggest you find your way to an escape facility immediately because they aren't going to wait for you. And if we stay here, we'll all die." Playing on emotions was not something she liked or knew how to do, but she did not see much of a choice.

"If you listen to her, you're all fools," Williams said angrily, "She is working with the enemy."

"What if she's right though?" one of the soldiers asked. He was helmeted, but his voice seemed unusually young to belong to someone in the force.

When the lieutenant began the answer, the lights flickered. Something about the air became heavy, and an eerie noise pierced the walls of the hospital.

Very few of the patients had not heard the sound before. But to a few of them and many of the doctors had never heard the bodiless scream of a phantom, the sudden whispering was terrifying. Panic broke when the silent glimmer of red suddenly shone though one of the walls. It was death for some, dread for others, and for Jane it was all the distraction needed for her to run.


	5. Dancing on the Edge of Disaster

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 5  
**_**Dancing on the Edge of Disaster  
**

"Neil, how's your situation?" Gray asked, watching the grounds below the tower window anxiously. He was now regretting letting Neil go onto the airfield. Especially alone. But there were no better options.

"Not good, sir," he heard the reply over the communications headset.

"What's wrong?" Gray moved to a second window to try to better see any potential problems.

"I'm lonely," came the reply, "And it's scary out here. And I miss Jane."

"I meant the impound tractor, Neil," Gray sighed, partially in relief and partially in annoyance.

"Oh, just a few more combinations to try with that."

"Aki, anything on scanners?"

"I'm picking up phantoms but I don't see any yet."

"Where?"

"Umm," Aki hesitated, not quite liking the readout, "I don't know. On the airfield."

"Neil, did you hear that?"

"Copy, captain. Almost done."

"Good." Not good. How the hell could it be good? If Aki was right and there were phantoms on the airfield then Neil was in trouble. And all he could do was watch whatever happened. He hated it. Command only meant being the one to watch your friends die for you.

Without thinking of it, Captain Edwards already counted Jane among the dead. It was already taking its toll on Gray's mind. As he watched the airfields below, he wondered who she gambled her life for, her captain or her friend. Captain Edwards couldn't be completely bothered; he had other things to worry about.

Shaken from his thoughts by the triumphant exclamation that burst into his ear, Gray could not help but smile. Neil's enthusiasm was often contagious. He moved back to finish setting the airtray–

"We're– Holy Shit!"

–Only to snap back to the window. Neil never used foul language above what Jane had tauntingly called 'preschool cussing.' It made Gray nervous to what could have caused such a reaction from the tech. "What's wrong?" he snapped, watching as the small figure of his friend dashed along the side of the Black Boa and leapt upon the lift, "Neil?"

"I'm ok," Neil replied breathlessly, clinging to the railing of the lift, "I think, I'm ok." He had barely noticed the Phantom before it had crept so close. When he had, he saw the momentary choices. Live or die. It was not until that moment that he realized how very much he wanted to live.

"Gray, I'm reading a meta close by," Aki suddenly said. Almost as if on cue, wisps of red moved along the floor to form tentacles and soon the insect-like form of the Phantom became visible.

"Ah, captain?" Neil asked nervously, "You gonna turn this thing soon?"

Gray cursed silently and retreated from the window to the control panel. He returned to the window after turning the holographic dials. He watched helplessly as the gigantic Phantom seemed to examine the now moving spacecraft.

He knew now that there was no way to get down to the Black Boa. It would be impossible for him to get past the meta. If they even managed to get away, he would be the one to stay behind. Or maybe he would be the one to live, while they died. The Phantom could just walk right though the ship.

Inside the ship, Ryan watched through a window as the ghost-creature approached. One hand was protectively cradling the gash in his side. Not that it seemed to matter now, nothing did. At least not until something on the ground suddenly caught his eye.

"Hey Neil, what are those?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Phantoms, Serge," the tech said, "Lots of them."

"No, under the meta," Ryan said, "What are they?"

"Compressed fuels I think," Neil replied, trying to see beyond the looming Phantom, "Why?"

"Remember old New York? The alleyways?" the sergeant asked.

"Not quite following ya," Neil said honestly.

"Boom," Ryan said, "remember?" The look of confusion turned to one of insight almost instantly.

"Captain? We've got a plan, we might have a way out," Neil almost shouted into the communications device, "Mind givin' us some help?" It wasn't a sure plan, but it was the only one that seemed available. And right then, anything was better than just waiting for death.


	6. Command

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 6  
**_**Command**

Running without a place to go was pretty useless. It could save a person at times, but not here. Hell, the city was probably the safer place when compared to the wastelands. At least here there was a chance to see what was stalking you.

Not that it was much comfort.

Jane stopped at the entrance of the hospital to get her bearings. She knew vaguely where she was, but she could not think of where she could go. She wanted to block out the sounds that echoed throughout the city. She wanted to so badly, but she knew she needed to hear the phantoms to avoid them. That was if they could be heard over the human voices.

Someone called to her. A not unfamiliar voice. One of the soldiers had followed her. No, more than one. Turning to face them, she beheld three.

"What?" she growled.

"Ma'am, we'd, um.." the soldier began, suddenly very unsure of the request.

"We want to go with you," a second volunteered, "We got the feeling you know what you're doing better than the lieutenant."

Before Jane could answer, the woman doctor appeared from behind the troops. Fearful and almost in a state of shock, she stumbled towards them.

A swell of pity engulfed Jane. This should not have happened. It should not have been happening. The Barriers were supposed to be the symbol of protection, how could they have failed?

"All right," the corporal said, "Let's go. Take her with us."

One of the soldiers reached out to steady the doctor and moved nearer to Jane. The second soldier followed without any hesitation. The third never had a chance as he fell, lifeless, down the steps of the hospital. The second soldier turned swiftly and fired upon the Phantom half-buried in the wall. The Phantom disintegrated, and the part of the wall shattered.

Jane cursed and retrieved the fallen man's nocturne rifle. She wondered briefly what Gray would have her do. It did not occur to her that he might be dead in the city somewhere. She still did not know where to run. No place was safe. No where under the sun was safe from Phantoms, only under the Barriers could a person be safe.

"Let's move people," she ordered, trying for the world to bring her voice to the level of command that Gray was so good at.

As the four ran, a memory flashed in Jane's mind. Neil, talking about something. A new model of a vehicle of some sort, something she had no real interest in. Suddenly she realized why the image must have been remembered.

"And get this," the tech had said one boring and dreary morning in the transport, "the thing has its own personal barrier. Pretty cool huh?"


	7. Where Gravity Does Not Exist

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 7**_  
**Where Gravity Does Not Exist**

Ryan grumbled as the computer made an aggravated tone. The same tone was made for every military access code he knew. That to which he wanted access to was no longer within his access. Neither his personal codes nor those that were assigned to the Deep Eyes worked. He gave up as the last password failed.

Unfastening himself from his seat, the sergeant surrendered to the weightlessness of space. Being weightless was harder to get used to than one would expect. He had been in space before. Ryan was almost used to it again, but he still had problems with inertia. The injury he bore on his side felt worse when he collided with a wall in the wrong way. He learned very quickly not to collide with walls in that way.

Ryan floated through the large ship. He Subconsciously learned to use the Black Boa's own movement to his advantage as he moved towards the laboratory. The facility could be used for various things, but for now it only served as an infirmary of sorts. The door opened just in time for the last of an exclamation to be heard halfway down the hall.

"What's funny?" Ryan asked. He glanced to Dr. Sid, who sat chuckling in a magnetic chair. Looking to Neil, he found his friend looking quite pale.

"Not funny," Neil said, "I said, 'not funny.'"

"Oh, then what's not funny?" Ryan asked, quite curious by now.

"He faked the scan," Neil replied angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Sid, "He said I had a Phantom in me,"

"Us old folks need our fun too," Sid replied, "And if you'd like we could always scan you again."

"No thank you, doc," Neil said, pushing off the table and moving out through the still open door, "I'd prefer to talk to the Phantom."

"He is all right, right?" Ryan asked when the door had closed.

"He'll be fine," Sid replied, "I just thought he needed something to take his mind away from all the stress we've been through recently."

"Some method," Ryan commented.

"I've got work to do," the elderly scientist said, "Do you need anything?"

"Uh, no, I was just gonna talk to Neil about something," Ryan said, moving back towards the door. He left the scientist alone and went to try to find Neil. He eventually found the tech in the same room he had left, working at the same computer.

"You talk to the captain yet?" Ryan asked, trying to make out the fast moving images on the screen.

"No," Neil mumbled, "I get the feeling he doesn't really want to be disturbed right now."

"Huh? Why not?" the sergeant caught one or two words that flashed by. Name lists, he realized, and reports. What he had been trying to access earlier.

"He's," Neil paused, trying to think of a polite way of saying it, "He's spending some quality time with Dr. Ross. Besides, he's not gonna let us go back anyway."

"You don't know that," Ryan said, "Wait, how come your access codes work? Mine didn't get a thing."

"Of course ours don't work," Neil scoffed, "I used Major Elliott's access codes, not ours."

"You did what?" Ryan asked, disbelieving, "How the hell did you get his access codes?"

"Well, I just sorta came across them ya know?" Neil said sheepishly, "No harm done to anyone, I swear!"

"Hmm, find anything?" the sergeant was unsure whether he wanted to know or not, "What do they say caused the barrier to fall?"

"No one seems to know," Neil said, "They don't think they'll be able to compile an accurate casualty listing for a while."

Ryan settled into a magnetic chair and watched from across the room as Neil worked on the computer. He tried to ignore the feeling of guilt by telling himself everything would end up well and happy. Somehow even he doubted his words to Neil earlier. The sick feeling they both shared was familiar, and Neil was not able to tell whether the burning sensation behind his eyes was the result of the terminal in front of him or from something else entirely.


	8. Where Death is Almost Welcome

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 8  
**_**Where Death is Almost Welcome  
**

Jane rubbed her sore shoulder without thinking of it. She did not touch her neck. The anesthetic had worn off what seemed like ages ago, and she took little notice of the physical pain anyway. She stared dully at the yellowish glow of the miniaturized barrier that surrounded the scouting vehicle. Melissa had called it a "Quatro."

Melissa was the doctor. Where had the woman gone? Jane had fallen into a fitful sleep, only to wake alone. Totally alone it seemed, no but with guilt for company. She felt she owed something to the universe. Perhaps because she had so lived while so many others in the city had died. She had witnessed three deaths already.

One man fell down the stairs of the hospital, so soon she had lost one she said she could guide out. The second, oh he fell on the way. He collapsed, falling as the Phantom stalked him and fed upon him. The third...

The third Jane knew now. He had made it. Three little humans huddled within a large mass of machinery and glass. She spoke with him; he was not as faceless as she tried to tell herself. The young man, too young to be in the force. He took off his helmet when they were in the safety of the Quatro. Melissa knew how to work the scouting vehicle. It appeared she liked machinery.

The young soldier had yet to become an officer. Jane soon found out how long it would take him. He was not a lieutenant. He was not a private. He was a cadet. The only reason he had been there was because he was close to entering the force fully.

And because he was General Hein's nephew. Alexander Hein.

A loyal cadet. She knew him now, she had talked to him, and she had watched him die. No longer faceless. She had not said one word as he died. He had gone to find supplies of ovo-packs and anything else he thought they might need. He said he would be careful.

He did not see it, what caught him from behind. What were they? How could they kill without leaving a mark?

Melissa had saved them. She reactivated the shield when the creature got too close. Too late for the cadet. He died outside of shelter.

And what of Melissa? She did what she could to console the corporal. She spoke of her own work and questioned Jane about hers. She did what she could to help Jane, and tried to keep her neck and shoulder healthy. Jane learned that she had been shot. Imagine that, being shot.

She had given Jane an anesthetic. It was also a sedative. With the sedative came sleep, and with sleep came nightmares. And when the nightmares faded, the waking world called. Melissa was gone when she woke up.

And now? Now she was left alone. She imagined what Gray would say. How he made it so easy looking she would never know. He would tell her she failed, would he not? Or would he be sympathetic? She wondered if she would ever get the chance to, or if he was already dead.

Or Ryan, what would he think of her? He was always so optimistic. But now? After she had failed miserably he would tell her how she was lucky, and maybe he would forgive her for the death. The death was not his to forgive.

Neil would taunt her mercilessly. It would be his method of revenge. It was deserved. After the way she treated him, she deserved his malice. By now it did not seem to matter. She lived, and he could have been dead. She almost wished him there, even above the others. Gray might be nice about it, understand. Ryan would try, perhaps he would be able to help. Neil would have reflected her mentality.

She hated herself. She failed. She failed and she lived. She lived at the expense of others' lives. What for? Were her friends even alive? Could she face them even if they were?

Jane slumped as much as she could in the chair. She fell asleep again, this time for longer. When she awoke she saw that the barrier had failed. She almost panicked in the darkness before realizing that it seemed not to matter anymore. At least not to her.


	9. "Sometimes I'd Rather Face the Phantoms"

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 9  
**_**Sometimes I'd Rather Face the Phantoms  
**

"Oh, look at it. It's so cute!" Neil cooed.

"How the hell can you call it cute?" Jane demanded, staring at the container. The Phantom inside looked like a miniaturized version of one of the human-sized terrors she had seen many times before. Just looking at the thing gave her the creeps.

"I don't know, it does look kinda innocent," Ryan said, tapping one side of the cylinder with his index finger.

"It's only a baby, Jane, give it a chance," Neil quipped.

"Is that what they said about you when you were born?" Jane retorted irritably.

"Wanna hold it?" Neil grinned, ignoring the remark and reaching for the release mechanism of the container.

"No!" Jane exclaimed, horrified. She grabbed for the tech's hands and managed to pull him away from the creature. The force of the action made them both tumble backwards to the far side of the transport bench.

The woman cursed as she pulled herself back up onto the bench. She cuffed the man laughing beside her before realizing who it was. She lowered her fist and mumbled an apology to Gray. The captain grabbed a hold of the front of her armor in a display of anger.

"You don't hit your commanding officer, missy," he growled.

"She's been good so far, captain," Ryan said, "She won't do it again."

"She did good on the mission, captain, maybe she needs to be rewarded instead," Neil said, having recovered from the fall. Had she been able to turn around, she might have seen the mischievous look on the his face, "Kiss her, captain, she deserves it." Had she been able to turn around, she would have strangled him.

"Hmm," Gray considered, the anger seeming to fade away, "Do you think you deserve it, corporal?" His face was only an inch from hers when the stimulant reached her central nervous system and forced her into the waking world.

Back in the world of darkness, Melissa tried to coax Jane from the vehicle. She glanced at the reddish glow near the back of the Quatro and tried to hurry the woman as much as she dared. Reaching into the bag she now carried, she grabbed an ovo-pack and sent it flying towards the Phantom. The Phantom chased after the cylinder, and the doctor gave a sigh of relief.

"What's going on?" Jane asked groggily, "Where did you go?"

"I went to get us help," Melissa replied, "Keep your wits about you. Run when I do, and please try to keep up." The blonde woman smiled as Jane nodded. One good thing to be said for the military, the doctor thought.

So they ran. Past Phantoms, and the dead bodies of humans. Past buildings that would eventually pass into faded history as those outside the barriers had. Past burning wreckage and twisted metals. Every once in a while, when a Phantom blocked the path, Melissa would stop and throw an ovo-pack. Sometimes the creatures would be distracted by the prospect of the energy and follow the cylinder. More often the women would have to run and find another route.

They reached the military airfield in less than half an hour. Had she been told this, Jane would not have believed it. It felt like years had passed since she left the hospital. She had never been on the Tucson mission, that was another person in another life. All she had ever done was run and all she would do would be to run forever.

Phantoms were vacant on the airfield. Melissa dropped the bag she carried and pulled Jane towards an escape pod. The man waiting in the airlock looked as though he was not pleased with waiting. With a start, Jane recognized the man as General Hein.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked the doctor, keeping his anger under control by power of will, "And why did you bring her?"

"I wasn't going to abandon her, Hein," the woman said brashly, "You heard my report, or else you wouldn't have waited."

"I wouldn't have waited anyway, Mel," Hein replied, "If the Council didn't like you so much."

"Since when did you care what the Council thought?" Melissa snapped back, pushing past the general and bringing Jane with her, "Get us out of here, or abandon us, but do something before we are all killed."

Grumbling, Hein moved to comply. Melissa should have been left to die, he thought. He cared not what happened to Jane, she was just another soldier. But if anything did happen to Melissa, the Council would hate him. And that was not what he needed right now. Not when the goal was so close to his grasp.

"We're not going to Houston," Hein mumbled as the women strapped themselves into their seats.

"As long as we're not going to the wasteland, and not staying here I think we'd be alright," Melissa replied.

Jane sat quietly. Hein was an imposing figure, she was unsure as to how the doctor was able to speak to him in such a way. Where she could have felt safe as the aircraft lifted itself from the ground, she felt apprehensive. She felt almost captive, and wondered if the general would look over her or if she would be under his full attention. She prayed that he would leave her be. Even if he left her to face the Phantoms.


	10. Loyalties

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 10  
**_**Loyalties**

The world glowed with a beauty of its own. It was still green in places, despite the ravenous affects the Phantoms had on it, and it was always a wondrous shade of blue.

Dr. Sid sighed. He remembered so clearly when the world had been greener, and he could have sworn it had been bluer. He hated the Phantoms for destroying the beauty, but at the same time had them to thank for his freedom in research. Or had had them to thank. Now it was pretty clear what General Hein was going to try. The failure of the barrier would give him the access he needed to use the Zeus Cannon against the aliens.

Sid wondered how the barrier could have failed. It had been stable for years. Maybe that was the problem, the scientist reasoned, it was all a matter of time. Why then? Why, when he was so close to the solution. He could have ended the war in the next week and fewer people would have been hurt.

An idea emerged from his mind, and he pushed it away. It was impossible. But then, so had been the Gaia theory itself at one time.

**--- **

"So can you or can't you?" Gray asked, trying to keep his anger in check. He did not want how it was done explained, and he did not want to know the various other things that the request reminded Neil of, he just wanted a definite answer. "Maybe," was the response he got.

"I thought you said you'd done something like that for a science project," Ryan commented from the sidelines.

"Ah," Neil said uncertainly, "I did, I did. I just sorta messed up and made a little explosion instead."

"How little an explosion?" Gray asked, not really wanting to know.

"Well, the school had to replace a wall," Neil replied, "But, captain, that was fourth grade. I'm sure I could do it now."

"Good," Gray said, feeling just the opposite. Dr. Sid and Aki were both so adamant about their newest plan, but it made him sick to think about it. He had not told the Deep Eyes of it, and did not plan to. Going into the Leonid Meteor impact site was insane and he wanted their minds to be at ease, or as well as they could be since... when? It was hard for Gray to think of a time when fear or tension was not part of life.

The success of the plan required that the Quatro that was stored on the Black Boa be in working order. He problem with that was it was uncharged. It would not move, let alone offer protection against the Phantoms. So he had asked Neil if he could transfer enough power from the ovo-packs and other energy sources they had to the Quatro's power-cells.

Now all he could do was wait. He did not wish to wait, because waiting prompted thinking. He did not want to think of what could go wrong, or what had already gone wrong.

**--- **

"Do you know what Dr. Ross is really trying to do?" the general asked. The manner he asked was in an almost friendly or conversational tone.

"No, sir," the corporal behind him was almost deathly still when she answered.

"So, I would suppose that when I ask the same question about Captain Edwards, you wouldn't know that either, hmm?" General Hein moved his fingers over the holographic keypad with precision as he spoke.

"No, sir, I would not," Jane replied. He is trying to save Earth, like all other military personnel and scientists on the planet.

"And you, what are your intentions?"

"I don't understand the question, sir," Not that I understood the others that well either.

"Dr. Ross and the captain are both working under the Phantoms' influence," the imposing man turned to look over his shoulder. The gaze was indiscernible, though foreboding filled the woman's mind, "Whose side are you on?"

"I fight to rid the world of the Phantoms, sir," Gray is doing the same.

"How could I be sure of your intentions, corporal, if I thought you might be lying?" Hein turned back to the console, "How could I judge if you spoke the truth?"

"You couldn't be sure, and could only judge by my actions, sir," Jane almost regretted the words as the next question reached her ears.

"And yet you attacked two of my men who were assigned to the Deep Eyes to protect a suspected traitor, how could I judge that action?"

"I ... " What was there to say, but the truth, "I was protecting a friend, sir," I couldn't do any less.

"Our friend Melissa Warren seems to think it was simply loyalty to Captain Edwards that provoked your unwarranted behavior against my men," Hein glanced towards the sleeping woman, "And she claims that you deserve a second chance to regain the trust she believes you are worthy of."

"Tell me, corporal, would you do it again, given the same circumstances but with the knowledge you have now?"

"Yes sir, without hesitation," I couldn't lie if I wanted to.

"Do you want a second chance?"

Silence. The general looked behind him yet again, and observed the almost vacant look on Jane's face. She did not look nervous, yet she did not look completely calm. "Did you hear me, soldier?"

"Yes, sir," Why does it feel wrong to say that?

"So what is your answer?"

"Yes, sir, I do want a second chance." Not at the expense of their lives.

"What would you do for a second chance?"

"I don't know, sir," what would I need to do? "What would you have me do?"

"Renounce this loyalty to Captain Edwards," Hein centered his attention on the screen before him, "It seems to be causing a bit of trouble."

"I ..." What could she say? "Yes, sir,"

"'Yes sir,' what, corporal?"

"I renounce my loyalty to Captain Edwards, sir," I'm sorry.

"Good," Hein smirked, "You are dismissed from the Deep Eyes, you will serve under me until further notice."

Jane felt sick. What else could she have done? Fight back; tell him where to he could shove his proposal; tell him something other than cowering. Was she afraid? Hell yes. Why did fear matter now, when facing the Phantoms was so much more terrifying?

What could be said? "Yes sir."


	11. The Greatest Show of Love...

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 11  
**_**The Greatest Show of Love  
**

The gleaming, almost twisted cityscape could be seen for miles from atop the abandoned building. The remains of both old New York and Barrier City Forty-two had a ghostly aura in the seemingly endless sunset.

She did not remember why she was here. She had no reason. She was a major in rank. She remembered not why. Those people that were as family, if not closer, were dead. Perhaps the reason lay there, or perhaps it had to do with the Phantoms being gone. Whatever the reason, it came with a great sense of guilt.

Jane looked down the side of the skeleton of a building. The ground was so far below, and what were left of the windows reflected the Sun's rays into a glorious display of color. Why it did not hurt today, when it had hurt every other day that she had looked upon the world from this point, she did not know. She felt only a deep sense of calmness.

Turning away from the view, she walked back towards the transport waiting for her. She stopped halfway as she noticed a familiar figure standing between her and the craft. She was almost startled when she realized it was Neil. Almost, but not quite. Then, just as suddenly, it seemed the most normal thing in the world.

"Hey," he said simply. She could see him clearly in the waning light, and thought it must have been an illusion that she could almost see him better the darker it got.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked, a bit more harshly than she meant to.

"Looking for you," the tech pouted, "Why not happy to see me?"

"No, not at all," Jane paused, "Or yes, I don't know. I meant, 'How did you find me?'"

"When you take a trip every other day to the top of an abandoned building, word kinda spreads around," Neil said. His expression was unclear, but not because he was hiding something or not showing emotion. In fact, it seemed to be the exact opposite, as though he was trying to express a thousand emotions at once. He was smiling as he said, "There are some pretty weird rumors and other things to go along with it, but it seemed the right place to go."

Jane tried to respond, but somehow she was unable to say a word. When she stopped trying, she heard herself say, "I thought you were dead." Neil only shrugged, and somehow the action itself made Jane uneasy.

"Well, ya know, the others weren't sure if you really wanted us around," Neil said, "But I thought you might be sad without us."

"Are they alive too?" Jane asked, still strangely calm. The fact itself was driving her insane. She did not have to suppress feelings of any sort; she just was tranquil.

"If you can call it that, yeah," Neil replied, "You never tried to find us did you?"

"No, I haven't had the time," the woman stated, not phased by the accusation.

"Not even when you're all alone up here for hours?"

"It's different," Jane said, "I need to be alone sometimes."

"Does it hurt?" Neil asked.

"Yes," the major could not tell whether it was a lie or not. She assumed it was not, but was unable to tell.

"Want me to stop it?" The stars were beginning to shine in the still twilight. The sun was gone. The moon was nowhere to be seen. Despite the shadows, Jane could still see Neil as easily had he been standing in daylight.

"What?" Jane asked. She moved her hand as Neil reached for it, and watched him suspiciously. She was not afraid, even though she felt that normally she might be.

"I can stop it from hurting," Neil replied, "I can make it go away."

Before Jane could say a word, the technician had taken her wrist in his hand. Her skin felt as though it burned when his palm touched it. She almost tried to pull away, but something in the back of her mind prevented her from doing so.

"Do you remember anyone ever telling you in school, anything that the kids said 'bout Phantoms?" Neil carried on, smiling sadly, or perhaps apologetically, "What happens when one kills you, do you remember those stories?" He placed his other hand against her neck, and the burning sensation touched there too. She stood, unmoving, as Neil continued, "They said that if a Phantom killed you, you'd become one, kinda like vampires, remember?"

Jane thought she should have felt something, but all that was felt was simply that calm sensation as Neil moved his hands so slightly. His hand moved through her neck and she felt her body simply drop away before opening her eyes to the dimly lit transport.

"Damn," She groaned, looking around. A slight nauseous feeling was present, presumably from the dream or because whatever drugs that her system had been given in the past day were wearing off. Thank god.

She hated the stuff, and felt she never could think clearly with the effects playing upon her mind.

"So who was it?" Hein asked, turning and giving her a sympathetic, if not friendly, look, "A friend? Family member? Enemy?"

"What?" Jane brushed the free-floating tendrils of hair back from her eyes and regarded the man with a glare. What business was it of his?

"You're dream, corporal," Hein said coolly, "Of course if you're not interesting in talking about it, I don't care. But, just to inform you, they don't go away." He turned his attention back to the screen before him and concentrating on his task.

Out of the window of the small craft, the massive space station that was Zeus loomed over the Earth as the Greek God might have done.


	12. The Argument

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 12  
**_**The Argument  
**

"I'm willing to bet," Ryan said, "That if I went back in there he wouldn't even notice I'd left."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Gray replied. Through the look of weariness was slight amusement showing itself to those who knew how to tell. Ryan was one of those, but to him it only made clearer the signs of fatigue and, worse to the sergeant's mind, despair. He would have asked about it if he felt he should. From personal experience he knew that talking did not make someone feel better if he was coerced into it.

"Either that or he'd be talking to the ovo-pack," Ryan yawned. His insistence that he was not tired had begun to break down in the last hour, even he was starting to think of sleep as a good idea.

"No," Gray said, "Not unless he's trying to get out of the military on insanity." Funny thing was, Gray could quite easily imagine Neil trying to and successfully starting a conversation with one of the energy storing cylinders.

"Nah," Ryan chuckled, "Even if he wanted to, he doesn't even have to worry about it now."

"Don't remind me," Gray said, suddenly grim. He felt that even if Aki's Plan worked, even if they made this trip into hell and survived, there was still the matter of being reinstated. There was part of him that doubted that the Council would bother with assisting the Deep Eyes, or, worse, would completely tear them to shreds over whatever they deemed fit to accuse him and his friends of.

"Sorry," Ryan coughed, "Didn't quite mean it that way."

"So what way did you mean it?" Gray asked, giving his friend a quizzical look.

"Okay," Ryan corrected, "I meant it that way. But it's not your fault is all."

He looked across the rather plain room. Despite the fact that the Black Boa was made for being in space, the room was fitted as though with a gravity environment in mind. The only precaution made against free- floating furniture was to bolt it down. The only furniture in the room was a steel table and three matching chairs. Not that the chairs were in use, Gray had developed a habit of resting on the ceiling in zero-grav and Ryan often just found a comfortable enough wall.

"Yeah, I know," Gray said flatly, "Nothing is ever my fault." Before Ryan could say anything, "I've lost four people this past year. Four. Before Mark, I hadn't lost one."

"You lost two," Ryan stated, a little snappish, "Don't count the 307's, they aren't fucking worth it."

"They were people, weren't they?" Gray replied. He did not let show how his best friend's comment had alarmed him.

"They were people, but they attacked us," Ryan said, "They deserved what they got."

"Peters?" Gray asked, "He didn't live long enough to attack us. Besides, they were under orders. I should have told you before, what our orders were but..." He let the sentence fade before declaring, "Jane wouldn't have done what she did if she'd known."

"You really think that would have made a difference?" Ryan demanded, "You're our friend for Christ's sake. We'd follow you straight into hell!"

"Well then maybe I should have followed my orders," Captain Edwards said, "Put Aki under arrest and hand her over to Hein. No questions, no problems, everything just wonderful and happy."

"Captain," Ryan paused. He felt had nothing worth saying. "Look, I think we did the right thing, okay? I'm afraid to think of what might have happened if you had let him have her." To her or to you, Ryan added mentally.

"Thanks, bu-" Gray was cut off as he heard the door to the compartment open. Craning his neck, he saw Neil doing his best to stand in the doorway under the influence of the environment.

"Oh, there you are Serge," he said, sounding genuinely surprised, "I was wondering where you went, but I have to talk to the captain first."

"Though it is rather rude to just walk away from a conversation," Neil continued before Gray or Ryan could say anything, "I thought it was a nice topic, too, but you left and there was no one else to talk to and it got boring real fast. You know that-"

"Neil," Gray interrupted, deciding it would be best to get the tech to say whatever he had to before he forgot it. He realized that forgetting had never been a problem for Neil, except when it was in his own interest. "What do you need to talk to me about?"

Neil looked up, finally noticing Gray, "I finished with the energy transfer stuff, sir," he said, "I suggest you test it first though, because it might not work. It should, but if it doesn't there'd be trouble if you had to depend on it or something."

"Good," Gray said. He was starting to doubt his use of the meaning of the word. Somehow he did not feel one step closer to hell as being 'good.' He was glad that so far neither of his friends had asked about what was going on. He knew they were trying to guess, but they would not think him as crazy as he felt. They would not guess that the plan was to go into the origin of the chaos in hopes of stopping it, he was sure. By the time Ryan or Neil discovered the plan, it would already be in effect.

Thankfully, they would be safe in the Black Boa. Much to Gray's distress, Aki would be the one to go. At least he would be with her; that was one small amount of contentment.


	13. Clarity

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 13  
**_**Clarity**

The world turned as it always had, and perhaps always would. Always was a relative term of course. Perhaps the world was simply a part of her imagination. Who knew if when she died the Earth would still exist? She hoped it would, as she did not count too heavily on living. She had not been since the experiment that caused her Phantom infection. All she wanted was a little more time.

Aki shifted her weight a little, getting used to the force of gravity again. She could not blame the chair for her discomfort, as it was made with something resembling comfort in mind. Change in gravity was not the reason, she knew because she was used to it. She never had been able to get used to anxiety.

And now she was more anxious than she remembered ever having been in her life. She looked at Gray, who sat by her in the protected glass sphere. She returned his reassuring smile as best she could, but still felt sick.

Clearing her mind of doubt, she forced herself to feel confident. She was fighting for the world, perhaps the last chance. If only that could build confidence.

**--- **

Far above the Earth, yet still close enough that it did not drift away through the vastness of space, rest the immense structure of the Zeus Space Station. Doubling as the most powerful weapon humans had created, it had an ominous air on board. To Jane, it seemed all the more ominous when everyone's focus seemed to be on her.

Not completely, she supposed. Hein was getting a good deal of notice as well, but not in the same way. She was just getting silent, curious looks from the personnel. Those looks were probably warranted. She might have done the same if she was one of them. At the moment it only served to remind her how unkempt she looked; her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were a little large for her. She wondered if she looked as tired as she felt.

She stood as close to the door in the Zeus' control room as she could, and attempted to ignore what was going on around her. She tried in vain to assign order to her memories. She could barely remember the events of the past day, or was it two? She remembered Hein's nephew suddenly and clear enough. She wondered if Hein knew or cared that the cadet was dead.

The general was seated a little off to one side from where Jane was. His manner was calm and collected, and every action and order appeared as though they were part of a staged play. The carefully constructed show almost shattered into a spell of rage when the scanner brought back the image of an unidentified aircraft hovering near the Phantom Crater. The reaction only lasted a moment before it was caught and covered.

Jane missed Hein's momentary recoil from the image presented. She was too busy studying the picture, and wondering who would be stupid enough to want to be so near to the crater.

"... Just a traitor," she realized Hein was speaking, "Continue preparations to fire the cannon."

Jane watched with little interest as the crew began to fulfil their task. Something about the situation was unnerving, and she had a morose feeling about it. Still, without else to do, she simply watched and tried to swallow her doubt.

A tremor ran through the space station as the cannon fired. Those in places where artificial gravity patches were set felt it the most. It did nothing to deter Hein, and did not really phase anyone else either. It occurred a few more times before there was an interruption.

"Sir, we have an incoming communication," a soldier announced, "It's from the crater, sir, the aircraft."

"Well, let's talk with them, shall we?" Hein replied, almost gleefully. If he was right, then it was Dr. Ross down there. She had survived the incident in New York, and was right there with the Phantoms. It was his chance to show her she had lost. The Earth would be saved. She would know who saved it before she died with her Phantoms. She would know that he won.

The holographic likeness of Dr. Aki Ross appeared on the display screen. Jane, surprised, took a step forward for a better look. All focus shifted directly to the confrontation that occurred, so suddenly, between the general and the scientist.

In the few minutes of the conversation, Jane tried to find a resolve. Though she did not like Dr. Ross, she abruptly felt that if her friends were alive, chances were good that they would be with Aki. If they were, then they stood against odds that even a reckless risk taker would tremble at. She knew that sooner or later the energy from the cannon would hit the small craft, and that the spacecraft would not be strong enough to withstand the hit.

Jane felt helpless. If she tried, she doubted she would succeed and whoever was below would die. If she did not, well...

She was startled out of her thoughts as Hein, with an air of disgust, made a hand motion to the technician to cut the transmission. The image faded and the general composed himself regally. He turned to Jane, giving her a serpentine look. "Care to give the order, corporal?" he asked casually. She knew by experience that, if anything else, it was not a request.

She had to protect Aki, even if she was alive and the rest of the Deep Eyes were dead. Gray loved the scientist, and she had to protect that if nothing else. Like hell a few forced words would ever tear loyalty from her.

But fear kept its grip, and produced indecisiveness.

So she carefully formed her decision and hesitantly gave her answer.

**--- **

The rain of energy from the Zeus had stopped as suddenly as it had begun, but the last of it had left them broken and without escape. The energy shield was active, but the power was fading. It would only last a few more minutes before giving out completely.

The eighth spirit was gone. Sid announced the loss with great sadness.

A long string of strong, mild, and just plain childish cursing came through the communications device, to be followed after a brief pause by, "If you'll excuse my language and saying so, sir."

"It's alright, Neil," Gray replied, "I agree wholeheartedly." He might have laughed if he did not feel so strongly that he and Aki were going to die.

Aki felt as though she would break down then and there. They had been so close, and then the promise of hope and victory was taken away. She looked to Gray, but the soft, loving smile he gave her was too much for her to bear.

She turned off the barrier, and climbed out of the Quatro. If the Phantoms wanted her, they could have her. Perhaps Hein would destroy the Phantoms, and the Earth would be saved. She did not care anymore.

She climbed down and ignored Gray calling for her as she stumbled away into the reddish glow cast from the Phantom Gaia above. She did not notice the cliff until she nearly stumbled over it. She stopped, looked down, and gazed in amazement at what she saw.

**---**

Jane planted her feet firmly on the walkway, and kept a solid grip on the railing to have a semblance of balance in the gravityless environment. She had, for the first time in days, a fully clear mind. She knew what she was doing, and what she might have to do.

"General Hein," she called across the walkway. She had been silent until then, and knew from the man's reaction that she had startled him. "I can't let you do this, sir," she said as he turned around, surprising herself with her own boldness. Still, she did not question the sudden surge of strength. She was glad for it, whatever the cause.

"So what would you do instead?" Hein asked after a few moments, "Perhaps follow Dr. Ross in her hopeless spiritual pursuit?"

"I don't know," Jane replied honestly, "But this isn't right."

"Spare me," Hein scoffed, "You aren't qualified to say what is right and wrong." He watched as Jane's determination seemed to waver, and smirked, "I can make you a hero, corporal, just stay out of my way."

"Is that," Jane mused, "What you told your nephew when you sent him to his death?"

"Alex?" Hein asked, a trace of sorrow in his voice, "He should have been far away, the Phantoms should never have gotten that far."

The statement disturbed Jane. She knew it should not have, but it did. Distracted, she shifted her gaze to the metal grating beneath her feet. "This isn't the way," she said quietly.

"No," Hein said somberly, "This is the only way."

The general drew his gun, a motion that nearly eluded Jane. She moved only slightly as the quiet report of the air-compression weapon sounded. Three more reports sounded; two hit their mark; Hein fell back a step, and his weapon drifted away from his hand.

Shaken, but without new injuries, Jane let her own 'borrowed' weapon drift from her grasp. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the railing until her knuckles were white. Her world had changed so much in so little time. A concept that she could barely have conceived of before and would have barely believed was, without warning, becoming so real.

Hein, Aki, the Deep Eyes, the Phantoms, humans... And who was she in the middle of it all? Who's side was she on? A traitor? An assassin? Or maybe just a very confused soldier, unable to tell her mind.


	14. Home

_When Every Second Counts _

_**Chapter 14  
**_**Home**

Jane walked along the beach at a leisurely pace. For once she felt completely safe. The stars were above and the moon had set. She was alone, but not lonely. She could have company if she ever needed it, but for now she did not feel it necessary.

The surf washed over her bare feet. Looking back the way she came, she noticed that the water had washed away her footprints in the sand. The sand that was behind her looked as unmarked as that which was before her. Even the sand beneath her feet now shifted with the comings and goings of the water.

She continued on her way unhindered. The sky grew lighter and the sun eventually rose over the shore's side of the horizon. When Jane turned to face the sun, its warmth on her skin and the light in her eyes brought her back to the more painful side of life that was reality.

The lieutenant that was driving the car had parked right under the sun. Oh well, Jane thought, there were worse ways to wake up.

She felt anything was better than the two week long stay in the infirmary and thoroughly being reprimanded by the medics for too much physical activity. Not that what she had been through recently was not bad. It was just that it seemed worse thinking about it when she had nothing but time to think about it and the events were still fresh in her memory.

No wait, there was still next week to think about. The end of her allotted recuperation period and beginning of God-only-knew how many debriefings and interrogations that awaited her. Damn. Well, a week was better than nothing at least.

She noticed Aki standing alone on the sidewalk as she climbed out of the military vehicle. The lieutenant saluted and excused herself as the scientist walked towards them. Jane ignored Aki's greeting and brushed past her, walking towards the building behind her.

The building, a tall nondescript structure of concrete and metal, was a type of military barracks. Its main use was to provide accommodations to soldiers and squads from other cities, although occasionally civilians or scientists were placed there. Jane was a partial exception; she had other places in Houston she could stay, but she had a choice because her squad was from New York. Or former squad. But no one would know that except her and Hein until the next week.

It was not a really a fair choice, and she made it without much deliberation.

Aki adamantly but silently followed Jane as she entered the building, through the lobby, and into a vacant elevator. Much to Jane's displeasure, that was where the silence ended.

"Just say it," the solider said flatly as Aki faltered over where to begin. The scientist sighed and closed her eyes.

"You love him, don't you?" the scientist asked at length. She studied the other woman carefully, looking for any sign or reaction. There were none.

"I admire him," Jane replied honestly, "He's a very capable person."

"Love?" Aki pressed. She was curious. She knew that Jane did not like her, but she wanted to know why.

"A long time ago," the solider said, "I might have."

"You ever tell him that?" the scientist knew it was probably none of her business, but she thought of Jane as a friend. Or at least she wanted to.

"Once,"

"What happened?"

"Ask Gray," Jane replied simply.

"I'm asking you," Aki said, a little louder than she meant to. "Sorry," she sighed, "He won't tell me."

"At the time," Jane said thoughtfully, "He was in love with a bold young doctor. But then we never got the chance to meet her before she left without warning and broke his heart." The elevator stopped its accent and the doors opened before Aki could respond and Jane stepped out gratefully. She proceeded down the unadorned hallway at a brisk pace.

"Wait!" Aki called out and followed the woman, "Is that why you don't like me?"

"One reason," Jane said, not slowing or stopping as Aki tried to keep up with her, "There are others, but nothing more personal."

"I'm sorry," Aki apologized again, and stopped walking, "Look, can we talk about this some other time?"

"Fine," Jane replied, not halting, "How about sometime next week?"

"Okay," Aki said hesitantly, "But Jane?" Gray loved casual, and had probably given the scientist permission to deal with the Deep Eyes on first- name basis. Jane was in no mood to correct or bother with Aki, but then she was not in a mood to deal with much, so the corporal turned around, "This is the one."

"Yeah, thanks," Jane said, retracing the few steps she had gone beyond the door Aki pointed to. She lingered beside the door a moment. Now that she was here, the feeling of uncertainty that had been with her since before the run through New York was almost unbearable.

And then, it just vanished. After all, what was there truly to be uncertain about? The war was over, and at least for this one week, she was free of obligation. Jane stopped thinking about past or future as the door slid open, and gestured for Aki to go first. She followed, with her eyes on the floor.

Although it was not exactly a life-threatening situation, she could have found a better time to ignore sight as a vital sense.

Jane stumbled backwards into the hall, instinctually trying to keep hers and Neil's balance. Somehow managing to keep steady, Jane closed her eyes and endured the not so tentative embrace. She would let him have this one liberty just because he lived. She was even thinking of apologizing for her side of the feud…

But that was before Neil overstepped his boundaries. The hug was barely acceptable. The kiss was not even close to being so.

Angered, Jane shoved the tech back into the apartment. She followed and gave him a second push further in when he did not move out of her way fast enough. She almost flinched when a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Welcome back," Ryan beamed as the friendly gesture was returned.

"It's good to be back," Jane replied, casting a glance around the room. It was an average apartment, cold, steel-colored, and barely furnished. But that was not what she was looking for.

She noticed Gray standing with Aki in a corner of the room. He looked proud. They both looked happy. That was enough.

Jane smiled back at Ryan and tried to ignore Neil, who was grinning like an idiot. No one had seen what he did. Dropping him out a window would raise questions, so she would let him get away with it for the time being. She was in enough trouble as it was.

**---**

"You're sure you don't want to come?" Gray asked, pulling his coat on and straightening his clothes.

"Yep," Jane replied from the couch. Three days back and she was already back on the road to being misanthropic. No, there was something more to it, Gray thought, he just was not sure he wanted to place it.

"You know it wasn't your fault," he said, and stopped there. Suddenly, he realized what it was people were always trying to tell him when he screwed up. And he realized that Jane would have to figure it out on her own. "And what about that doctor?" he asked, trying to change the course of conversation slightly.

"I don't know," Jane said, sitting up, "I haven't seen her since… we got… separated." She had told Gray much of what had happened since Tucson, but she still kept much to herself.

"Maybe you should try to find her," Gray suggested, heading towards the door.

"Yeah, maybe," Jane mused. If nothing more, she could at least try to find out more about the woman. Curiosity suddenly sparked, "I'll try that."

"Have that little book I gave you?" Gray smiled at the positive reply, "Good, I'll send Neil back up. He can miss an hour or two to help with searching the database."

Jane tried to protest, but by then Gray was gone. "Oh God," she groaned, lying back down. Of course, then there was the book.

**---**

One little line did not mean much of anything, but now there were many lines together. She was scribbling another one. Between an almost complete silence - one that he tried to fill - and her scribbling, Neil was getting scared.

"What is that anyway?" he finally asked, waiting for the computer to finish its search.

"A book," Jane replied simply.

"Yeah, I see that," Neil said, "I mean, 'what are ya doin' with it?'"

"I am," Jane made it a point to speak the sentence slowly, "Writing down everything you do that I don't like, so I can remember and get you back for it later when I feel like it." A partial truth. Gray had given her the book for a slightly different reason. But, hey, she could use it to have fun and instill fear if she wanted.

"Wait," Neil began to protest, "Wait, wait, wait. That is not fair!"

Another line.

"Hey, I didn't do anything,"

And another. Neil faltered and was suddenly very quiet. She couldn't be serious, she just couldn't.

Jane stopped pacing and considered for a minute. She crossed out a few of the lines and closed the book. Neil looked at her with an almost awed expression on his face.

"Don't ask," she said in answer to his unvoiced question. He would have asked anyway, but the terminal beeped at him before he could.

"Okay, two hundred and six matches for 'Melissa Warren,' and 'Melissa Waren,'" Neil announced as Jane carried a chair over, placed it, and sat for a better vantage point of the computer.

"Try between the ages of twenty and forty-five," Jane said, watching carefully and trying to think of other ways to narrow the field.

"Ninety-seven,"

"Try the MFM program database," Jane said, "She said she was one of the recruits there."

"Lucky woman if she got through that alive," Neil said as he pulled up this screen, pushed away that, or put this other thing to one side for later, "Ya know I've heard there were over ninety percent casualties when they finally decided to pull that program? I mean, who would think that aliens would ever respect field medics? Especially ghost aliens…"

"Just," Jane said, "Shut up right there, would you?" She had a hard enough time believing in everything that had become fact recently. Ghost aliens and living planets would take a lot to get used to, and she was unsure as to whether she could believe such things.

"One match," Neil said, either not hearing or neglecting the request. He pulled the file, opened it, and began reading. He recognized the picture that came with the file, so there was no doubt in his mind this was the file they were looking for. Or at least there was none at first.

Jane leaned back in her chair. Everything matched, except this. One small detail. A death certificate dated 2061. Field death.

"This can't be right," Neil said, confused, "It…."

"Huh."

Suddenly, curiosity had disappeared.

**--- **

Monday morning, the thought registered. Time to get up and face the world. But no, the alarm had not gone off yet. She could wait just a little longer.

Time passed, and yet the alarm still had yet to sound. Jane wondered how much time. Finally bringing herself to look, she raised her head up off the pillow and blinked at the clock. Cursing quite loudly, she pushed herself out of bed and hastily dressed. She was supposed to be in front of a committee at 6:30. It was well past 7:00.

That oh so small deviation from schedule meant quite a few things in her daily routine had to be ignored for the morning; shower, breakfast, and well meaning verbal abuse of peers to name a few. Things that were not routine, and not imperative, had to be ignored as well; such as that unfamiliar little box sitting on top of the alarm clock.

Jane stopped to examine the enigmatic box for a minute. Before she could find out what was inside it, the door slid open and the box was quickly pocketed.

"You're awake," she turned to face Gray, something about his tone of voice signaled for caution. He was not in a good mood.

"I've got to go," Jane glanced around the room, "My alarm didn't go off, an- "

"I had it shut off," Captain Edwards said coolly, cutting off her protest with a gesture of silence, "I thought maybe you could sleep in for once." He handed her the papers he was holding, "Read."

The papers, a copied three-page report and a letter, were swiftly and superficially read. The report was heavily censored, and the letter had six lines crossed out. There was not much to read.

"I don't know who you have for friends," Gray's voice startled Jane, she had almost forgot he was there, "But I'd start sending out some 'thank you' cards right about now if I were you." He smiled and continued, "Whoever it was did one hell of a thing for us all, but I'm curious about one sentence– 'reinstatement to the Deep Eyes'?"

"Uh," Jane read over the letter twice before looking up at him, "It's a long story,"

"You've got 'til noon, I've got a date," Gray stated.

"Well, where to start," Jane mused, sticking her hands in her pockets and suddenly remembering the box. A shadow passed over the room, but did not linger long. There would be time for it, and for healing and living. After all, there was still much to be done, and time with which to do it.

_**The End**_

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**Working Title**: When Every Second Counts

**Inspiration**: A watching and a thought of _hmm... that was close_.

**Noteworthy**: This is a fic I cringe and grin sheepishly at. I don't think it's _terrible_, but I made a lot of mistakes (that no one called me for...), and there are probably a number more that I _didn't_ catch. It was also fluid... very fluid, and I'd kept going back on things I'd tentatively planned (such as letting everyone die again, but in Shiny New Ways). Plus I'd relied heavily on feedback to decide where to go next - okay idea in theory, _if_ you know what you're doing. _When Every Second Counts_ was, however unstable the various aspects of it are (characterization, I always wince in thy direction), a springboard into various theories and threads and ideas that grew into their own strange inspirations. Also? I miss being able to write a chapter in a day.

**Disambiguation**: Melissa is... to say important isn't quite accurate, I guess _what_ she is is important. It comes up in the unwritten sequel, but she's supposed to be part of a secret organization, and there's much subterfuge and deception and stuff.

**Dedication**: LadyKayoss, for she writes awesome fic which inspires the Little People.

**Special Thanks**: The Great Northern Lost Moose. Primarily, it was her idea to put Jane on Zeus, which made me go "Ooo!" She also inspired a bit of other thought and insight, for which I was (and still am!) grateful.

**Series**: _When Every Second Counts_; Seeing the Unseen. 

_Derivative work of material © Square Pictures, Squaresoft, Square-Enix. Reformatted to abide by 'site standards. None of the original text has been modified, 'cept in case of typo._


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